The Impromptu Reunion
by theseaisgreen
Summary: Life for Wally and Artemis has been uneventful at Palo Alto, but what happens when a family member shows up with more than they'd bargained for? - Threeshot
1. The Visit

**A/N: This is my second fanfiction, so I really hope you guys like it. I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed, favourited, or followed my last post since all those positive comments really motivated me to write and post more. :)**

**Any criticisms are really welcome, seriously, since all I want to do is to improve.**

**Special thanks to these following people who have been nothing but nice to me, and for welcoming me to this website:**

**monzepelmoon**

**Irenerb**

**spitfireforever **

**Greendogg**

**piggythelaw**

**(I wasn't sure if I could link profiles, sorry. _)**

****I'm aware that Artemis was undercover when Lian was revealed in the series, but for the purposes of this story, let's pretend that she'd been born a few years before the events of Invasion. Thanks again!****

* * *

**The Impromptu Reunion**

* * *

It had happened on a Sunday morning during the summer, when neither Wally nor Artemis had classes for another week or so until the new semester began.

They'd been up late the night before chatting to Nightwing and M'gann, reminiscing about their younger superhero days, and they'd both slept in, too tired and comfortable in each other's warmth. As sunlight streamed through their half open window, and a cacophony of bird calls sounded outside, Wally was the first to wake up before Artemis stirred in his arms, feeling his ever piercing gaze on her face.

The sight of his smiling green eyes peering down at her the moment she'd barely opened hers was a welcome sight every morning, and she couldn't help but wonder what she'd done to deserve it. If someone had told her six years ago about this exact moment, she would have probably shot them. No kidding.

Her lips stretched into a wide smile as Wally leaned forward to give her a kiss. "Morning, beautiful," he greeted.

"Morning to you too," she mumbled in reply, giving a contented sigh.

The hand painted clock on their bedside table- the one give to Wally by his mother as a 'departing to university' gift- revealed that it was already half past eleven, but neither of them were in a hurry to get up, content in their shared warmth and silence. Wally watched the sunlight play on the golden strands of his girlfriend's hair, feeling the urge to run his fingers through the long, silky strands, but he stopped himself before he could, knowing that one thing would lead to another and his stomach was already running on a low, having not eaten before going to bed last night.

Artemis glanced at him, noticing the internal conflict in his eyes and with a knowing smirk on her face, she stretched upwards to kiss him, before reluctantly pulling away to lick her lips. It had left the effect she'd wanted as Wally's gaze strayed downwards and he swallowed nervously. Artemis only laughed in his face.

"Hungry?" she asked, and her sculpted blond eyebrows rose as she looked at him with wide, innocent eyes.

Wally's eyes glanced towards her lips again before he gave her a wolfish grin. "Like you wouldn't believe, babe."

Artemis laughed and smacked his arm before untangling her legs from the covers to get out of bed. She had barely had one foot on the ground when a tiny, childish giggle coming from the other side of their apartment stopped her in her tracks.

Tilting his head to one side, Wally's eyes widened as he looked at her. "Was that a _kid_ in our apartment?"

Artemis was equally shocked and immediately, her arms shot up in defence. "It wasn't me, I swear."

Had it been any other time, Wally would have laughed at his girlfriend's terrified expression, but there were more pressing issues to solve at the moment. Reaching for the covers, he pulled them off his legs and crept to the bedroom door, with Artemis following in suite.

He cracked the door open by a fraction and both of them peeked out of the door cautiously, eyes surveying their house for any signs of children running around. They took their time waiting to hear more of the sound, but when none appeared, it was a silent agreement that they had to investigate.

"Ladies first," Wally said, pushing Artemis gently forwards and earning a scowl from her in return.

"Wimp."

Wally opened the door wider for Artemis to exit the room, and watched in amusement as she tiptoed slowly in stealth mode, wearing one of Wally's old t-shirts. The situation was highly comical now that Wally wondered if they'd heard their neighbour's kid, or if someone else's TV had been on too loud.

He'd begun to relax and had followed Artemis down the corridor casually when they heard another giggle coming from their very own living room. Faster than even Wally could blink, Artemis had pressed him against the wall with a loud thud and had made a hushing motion with her finger.

Slowly, after she gave the signal to advance, they edged towards the living room and Wally raised an eyebrow when Artemis pulled out a small, portable crossbow from one of the potted plants. "Seriously?" he whispered. "It could just be a child, Artemis. Not to mention, all this time you had a crossbow hidden and I've been unknowingly pissing you off?"

She cupped her hand over his mouth to silence him, and rolled her eyes. "Security measures," came her casual reply as though it was customary for everyone to hide loaded crossbows in their potted plants. They started moving again, but didn't get far before a voice spoke from the same direction as they'd heard the laughing child.

"I know you're there; I heard you both minutes ago," drawled the female voice. "Are you guys going at it in the middle of the corridor? Kinky."

Artemis' hold on her crossbow slacked and it clattered to the ground as she froze mid-step. She knew that voice. No sooner had the name popped into her head that the mysterious infiltrator had decided to show herself, along with an adorable little girl with short auburn hair and grey eyes- the very grey eyes Artemis had inherited from her father. The child looked like she could've been their daughter, but her features were distinct from Wally's- and they would've known if something like _that_ happened.

"Cheshire?" Wally asked, his voice sounded strangled as his eyes focused on the child in her arms. At a closer look, there was no doubt that she was related to her, but there was something else familiar about the little girl's features too; her auburn hair, sleek jawline, and high cheekbones as she smiled at them.

_No way. No freaking way._

He spared a glance at Artemis and noticed that she had come to the same realisation too.

"You? You and Roy?" She spluttered, and Jade had to give herself credit for owning the most dramatic entrance. She didn't think she'd ever seen her little sister so flustered.

"Yes," she drawled, shifting Lian onto her other hip. "Jealous I got the hotter redhead?"

"No," both Wally and Artemis deadpanned.

Artemis still couldn't believe her eyes. She had a niece. And her sister was with Roy. _Roy_. Out of everyone she could've picked, she had chosen the most difficult, irritating, egotis-

"Does Roy know about this?" Wally interrupted her internal rant, and Artemis' eyes whipped upwards to analyse her sister's face.

There were dark circles underneath the older woman's eyes, and Artemis guessed it was probably from the child-rearing, but even though she looked like something the cat had dragged in and mildly irritated at Wally's question, there was a gentle softness in her eyes that she'd never seen there before. It almost made her smile, but she caught herself before her sister could call her on it.

This observation, however, was lost on Wally as Jade scowled at him, and he had half expected her to throw one of her poisoned daggers in a rage.

"I thought you were the smart one, carrot-top. Of course Roy knows," she snapped.

He shut up immediately after that, but still couldn't believe that his friend had done it- had made a _baby_- with one of their enemies. He couldn't blame him entirely though, the Crock women were certainly beautiful.

"So..." Jade began, her eyebrow raised almost patronisingly.

"So, what?" Artemis asked hesitantly, an ominous feeling prickled at the back of her spine and Wally placed an arm around her waist, feeling the distress emanating from her.

Her sister rolled her eyes and placed Lian on the ground before seating herself on the armrests of the couch. "How are things?"

Artemis almost choked on her own saliva as she stared wide-eyed at her sibling. "Who are you?"

Narrowing her feline eyes, Jade ignored her. "Just answer the question."

"I don't know- things are fine, I guess."

"Great," Jade said with mock enthusiasm, clapping her hands together as she hopped up from her seat. "Just wanted to check I wasn't leaving my child with complete psychopaths."

"Have you looked at yourse-" Wally started but Artemis cut him off with a deadly, calm voice.

"Leaving? What do you mean by leaving?"

His eyes widened as he realised a little late the insinuations of Jade's response, and he felt Artemis go frigid in his arms.

The woman in their living room- practically a stranger to Wally- sighed, and bent down to kiss her daughter on the cheek before putting her trademark mask on. "Aren't you two meant to be getting smarter in university? I meant what I said. You're babysitting. _Surprise_."

Artemis gaped at her sister, and stepped out of Wally's side-embrace so she could grasp onto her sister and convince her to stay and take her child home, but the assassin was too quick for Artemis' rusty moves and darted out of the way in a blink of an eye.

"I'm picking her up in two days and I left all the stuff you need at the front door. Think of this as... Training. For your own future."

Wally blushed and a pink tinge had appeared on Artemis' cheeks. "You can't just leave me with her, I have no idea what to do with a kid," she protested.

"It's simple. Just make sure she doesn't _die_. You'll be able to handle it," she shrugged before turning to wave at her little girl. "Lian, irritate Aunt Artemis as much as you want, okay? Mommy will be back soon."

Lian nodded before sending them a mischievous smile that rivalled her mother's.

"She's her child, all right," Wally gulped next to her.

As soon as Cheshire vanished out of their living room window, Artemis felt the sudden need to rest her head against something, and she leaned on Wally's shoulder, feeling like her mind had imploded. An arm wrapped around her as they both watched the little toddler play with Brucely, though they weren't sure if they could call it playing. The little girl had begun poking the poor pit-bull's nose, and the well-behaved dog just sat there, sneezing after every poke as Lian laughed in his face.

"Man, she's evil," Wally observed, though not unkindly, and he had to admit that the child had inherited her mother and aunt's charms. He sneaked a glance at Artemis beside him and tightened his arm around her when he saw the blank look on her face.

"We can do it," he reassured her, trying to keep his own paranoia buried, but Artemis didn't seem to hear him, or if she did, she was completely sucked into her own thoughts. Wally caught the words 'niece' and 'crazy' as she mumbled to herself.

"Artemis," he called, placing his hands on her shoulders in a placating gesture. "Hey, it'll be fine."

When she finally looked up at him, her eyes were a shade lighter than usual, and it didn't take long for Wally to realise that she wasn't distressed, in fact she was quite the opposite.

Her thoughts reeled as she replayed the earlier conversation in her head, confused as to what she should be feeling knowing her sister had named her daughter Lian after her middle name. The part inside of her, the one that Jade had abandoned eleven years ago in her mom's apartment, almost felt relieved to realise that her sister did have some feelings for her- at least enough to name her first child after her, even though it was only her middle name.

The older Artemis, however, the one who was still recovering from the discovery of her niece and the sudden and unexpected babysitting job, knew this information would give her the upper hand when her sister returned. And Roy- _Oh, this was good. _

She couldn't help the huge grin on her face as she watched the little girl giggle when Brucely rolled over. Artemis was an aunt. It had never occurred to her that her sister, the cold and unfeeling Cheshire, would ever give birth to a child, and no less with a Leaguer. She wondered if they were married, and cringed at the thought.

Beside her, Wally was thinking the same thing and out of nowhere, he voiced the question that had been bugging him ever since he laid eyes on Lian. "Does that mean they're intimate?" He blurted and Artemis smacked the back of his head while glowering at him.

"Don't talk about my sister and Roy-" _Choke_. "-like that. Don't you even dare mention it to the others. I want to have the satisfaction of knowing Roy has to be the one to spill his dark, dirty secrets."

With a raised eyebrow, Wally mulled it over. "We could speed up the process," he suggested. "We have his _daughter_. Wouldn't it be kind of us to take her to the Cave for a little visit? Invite everyone, have a little reunion."

A slow, twisted grin appeared on Artemis' face, and she stretched up to peck his cheeks. "That's why you're my boyfriend."

Without waiting for a response, Artemis crossed over to her niece and bent down as Lian began chatting animatedly, letting out high-pitched giggles whenever Artemis pulled funny faces at her stories.

Wally watched them with a smile on his face, admiring the way Artemis had befriended the little girl so effortlessly, and a random thought popped into his head that caused all the blood in his body to rush to his face.

There was no denying that Lian could be mistaken for their own, considering she had his hair colour and Artemis' eyes, and for a split second he'd almost felt like they were a family. That stray thought led him to wonder, that if they ever did have a child, would he or she resemble Lian? Or would their child have blonde hair and his eyes?

Wally's green eyes traveled sidewards from the little girl to sneak a peek at Artemis, and a soft smile appeared on his lips. It was a future he was looking forward to, and he was just going to have to convince his girlfriend of it too.

* * *

**Once again, thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and I'd love to hear/read your opinions/criticisms. :) **

**Ps: Just wondering if I should make them connected somehow, or just come up with a plot that occurs during the 5 year gap between season one and two? **


	2. Babysitting

**A\N: I had a lot of fun writing this, getting the idea from a Red Arrow and Lian moment I'd read in one of the comics. And unfortunately, I have exams now and I've been _trying_ to study, except Young Justice is forever nagging in the back of my mind, and if anyone has a cure for this- _Youngjustivitis_, please contact me. I'm desperate.**

**Thanks to these readers and reviewers for being so supportive, and for suggesting I make a sequel:**

**Sassbrat, spitfireforever, Irenerb, Player Zero, monzepelmoon, randomkitty101, Snowlily246, softball91, Cerulean Leader, KawaiiDesuGirl, Spitfire1017, ZeroV, coolgal13, doggy bye. **

**PS: I wrote this without editing too much since I don't have much time to, please review if you have any criticisms to shoot at me :) **

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**Babysitting**

* * *

With Lian in the house, their day had been much more chaotic than they'd anticipated. For instance, Jade had _not_ mentioned that her daughter disliked vegetables with a burning passion; especially broccoli, with the very ones Artemis had steamed up for her now covering the dining room floor.

The frustrated archer tore at her hair, glaring at her niece with a scathing look that Wally wouldn't have wished on someone so young. However, Lian only laughed and clapped her hands together joyously.

"Wally," Artemis said in a low voice, and the fork that had been halfway lifted to his mouth halted in mid-air.

"Yes?" He asked nervously.

Artemis stood up from the ground, after sweeping up the masses of chopped up broccoli on the floor, and her cold gaze levelled onto him. "Get this kid to eat her food or I'm throwing her out the window."

Though Wally swallowed his food down with difficulty, the said kid only laughed, bouncing her legs against her chair and cheering, "Window! Window! Fly!"

Both of the adults stared at the little girl, uncertain if they should have been relieved that her obliviousness was a sign of innocence, or disturbed that Lian seemed unaffected- even enjoying- Artemis' threats.

"Um. Why don't you calm down... I'll take over," Wally suggested, putting his fork down and standing up to take the empty bowl from her niece.

Artemis raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "Are you sure?"

She knew Wally would never give up food for anyone, and considering the fact that he'd just offered for her; Artemis reached forward to plant a kiss on his lips, lingering for a moment longer than usual. "Thank you," she murmured.

He grinned against her lips before she pulled away, and Artemis gave him a gracious smile before returning to her half-eaten food.

"Alright," he announced to Lian once he'd returned with another bowl of broccoli. "If you finish this, I'll give you ice cream."

The redheaded girl shook her head adamantly while pulling a face at the bowl of greens he held in his hand. "Yuck," she said, her little nose scrunching up in distaste. "Ice cream only."

Across the table, Artemis snorted from her seat. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen. I've tried that Wally, she won't eat them no matter what."

As she took a bite of her own food, Artemis wondered what her sister did to get her daughter to eat those goddamn vegetables. She'd tried threatening her but that didn't work, and making deals hadn't worked either. Besides, if it was Jade, who knew what the woman did? Maybe she even gave her own daughter some of her less harmful poisons to induce her into a hypnotic state.

She watched as Lian slapped away the spoon Wally had edged closer to her mouth._ Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. _

"Just one," Wally pleaded, holding the spoonful closer to her mouth. "I'll give you anything you want, ice cream, cookies, chocolate, bedtime story- just _please_."

Lian stared at Wally, her grey eyes hard and unrelenting, and a wave of nostalgia washed over him. He'd been on the end of that look for- who knew how long- and he knew it was a lost battle, but he refused to give up, the tiny flame of hope in him still flickering as he watched the little girl purse her lips in deep thought.

"No," came her final, firm reply and Wally deflated. Was stubbornness a dominant trait in the family? God help him if he were to survive with two spitfires in his house for the next couple days. He almost envied Brucely, who was curled up under the dining room table, waiting for pieces of food to be dropped without a care in the world.

Wally looked at Lian with imploring eyes, and got down to his knees in front of her seat. This was good practice, he supposed, for preparing himself for rejection if he were ever to propose to Artemis_. _

"What about a later bedtime? I'll consider prolonging it for an extra hour."

"No."

"I'll take you to the park tomorrow?"

"Nuh uh."

"Two scoops of ice cream?"

Lian crossed her arms and turned her face away from him.

"You're killing me here, kid."

Her eyes lit up at the word 'kill', and she whirled around with a curious look. Wally gave her a deadpan stare. "Seriously? That's not healthy."

The little exchange between them gave Artemis an idea and she stood up abruptly, surprising her niece and boyfriend as she left the room as swiftly as she'd left her seat. Wally turned to Lian slowly with furrowed eyebrows. "Actually, I don't blame you. It's genetic."

A couple minutes passed before Artemis came storming back, and Wally's eyes widened when he noticed the item in her hands. "Okay, I know you're mad and that she's a frustrating kid but aren't you taking 'good cop, bad cop' a little too far?"

Artemis rolled her eyes, lowering the crossbow she'd picked up from the living room. It had occurred to her that her niece had a particular fascination with violence, and whether it was due to Jade's influence or genetics, she wasn't sure, but she was definitely using it to her advantage. Ignoring Wally, she crossed the room to stop in front of Lian, holding up her crossbow for the younger girl to see. "If you finish that bowl, I'll let you play with it."

Wally choked behind her. "Are you crazy? That's dangerous, and kids like cartoons, rainbows, sunshine and toys, not-"

Lian's giggling interrupted his protest, and she reached her hand out for the bowl in Wally's grip.

"Babe," Wally started, placing the bowl in front of Lian as she started to eat it enthusiastically. "I didn't want to say this... But your niece has a high chance of becoming a public offender. Or a murderer. Or a _psychopath_."

"Relax, Wally. It's empty."

"Yeah, and so is her innate moral conscience."

Artemis blinked and let out an airy laugh before returning to her meal. "We'll have to teach her that, won't we?"

"We? _We?_ I think you mean me. Who's been in the superhero business for most of his life? This guy," he pointed at himself with his thumbs as he joined her at the dining table. Both their meals had long gone cold with their shared efforts to convince Lian of eating her broccoli, and Artemis sighed when the cold food touched her lips. She couldn't be bothered heating it up.

"I think we all know who has the strongest morality here: me. After all, I _did_ leave my family's villainous background to join the good guys."

"Says the woman who threatens to crush my windpipe if I leave the toothpaste uncapped."

"It hardens when you leave it open," she shrugged with nonchalance.

"Are you majoring in toothpaste manufacturing too?"

"No, but I can major in kick-ass in a couple minutes if you don't shut up, Kid Mouth."

Out of the blue and unexpectedly, a grin slowly materialised on Wally's face and he surprised Artemis when he pecked her cheek in a blink of an eye- literally. She'd barely blinked when his face had suddenly been there, and gone the next moment. "Cheat," she mumbled, but the corner of her lips were turned up no matter how hard she tried to force them down.

* * *

Wally did the dishes since Artemis had cooked, and currently, she sat in the living room with Lian at her feet while the little girl played with the unloaded crossbow. The little girl had an affinity for weapons, Artemis had to admit, and she watched as Lian held the crossbow correctly in her hands and aimed it at the TV. How old was she? Three or four?

Artemis wondered if Roy would consider training his daughter to be involved with their line of work, or if he would give up Red Arrow to start anew. She only wished Cheshire would throw in the towel and join them, but Artemis knew Jade. Her sister wouldn't give up her way of life for anything- or anyone, even if it was her own daughter. Not until she lost the thrill and sense of control that her activities provided. If anyone understood, it was Artemis, whose life had spun wildly out of her grasp ever since her mother had been arrested and had done everything in the years after to remedy her lost of grip on her life. It was all worth it in the end, she thought, with a smile on her face as she watched her niece smiling and listened to the sounds of running water from the dining room.

She rubbed her eyes, exhausted from the day's babysitting. Lian had mostly played with Brucely in the morning, but when the white pit bull did nothing to entertain her constantly shifting attention, Lian had moved on to playing hide and seek and it had taken an hour to find her, since she hadn't even been in the house. She had been outside, somehow having exited out the half-open bedroom window since the only other option was the window they had shut after Cheshire's departure.

Lian was as sneaky as her mother, and as headstrong as her father, and Artemis wanted nothing else but for the little girl to finally fall asleep, so that she could finally collapse in Wally's arms and get the sleep they both deserved. It was already nine at night, and Artemis continued staring at her niece. _Doze off. Doze off. You are very sleepy_, she chanted in her head, but she wasn't M'gann and all she had managed to do was give herself a headache.

When Wally finally finished the dishes, he joined her on the couch and breathed out a tired sigh, stretching his arm out to wrap around her shoulders.

"When will she knock out?" He pulled her closer to him to whisper in her ear.

"Soon, hopefully," she answered, leaning her head against Wally's chest as they both watched the little girl bounce about the room with the crossbow in hand. She was making 'pew-pew' noises while pretending to shoot at Brucely, and the tired pit bull just tilted his head at her before sprawling out on the rug.

"Doggy, die!" She squealed, her eyes shining with excitement as she pointed at him to the adults on the couch. They both forced smiles on their faces and nodded, but when the little girl had turned around to shoot at Brucely again, Wally groaned. "She's going to murder us in our sleep."

Artemis punched his chest lightly. "Don't joke, Wall-man," she scowled and Wally prepared himself for a scolding on insulting her niece, but Artemis surprised him by saying, "You'll jinx us."

Involuntarily, a chuckle burst from his lips and Artemis felt her head shake from the vibrations on his chest. "Impossible," he grinned and he twirled a lock of her blonde hair with his finger. "You're my good luck charm. You'll keep me safe, won't you babe?"

She smirked, and glanced sidelong at him from the corner of her eyes. "Just don't leave the toothpaste tube open, and I'll _consider_ it."


End file.
